Know, I need you more
by badwolf2603
Summary: Jareth loses Sarah, but he get's her back ;)
1. Flying away from the window

"You have no power over me!" as soon as Sarah uttered those words Jareth knew he had lost. He dropped the crystal ball in defeat and watched despairingly as the world around him spun, and Sarah disappeared with the baby.

He ended up back in his throne room, though he couldn't remember how he got there. The goblins around him scuttled off quickly, knowing how livid the Goblin King got when someone championed his Labyrinth. But instead, Jareth just dropped to his knees. He had lost her. He put his head into his gloved hands and stayed in that position for hours. One brave goblin, Piffle, who Jareth was particularly fond of, came in and put a tray of food and wine in front of him.

"Master?" Piffle said, worried.

Jareth didn't respond, he didn't even move. Piffle decided that she should leave him alone, so she left. She cast a final glance at the Goblin King and closed the throne room door.

The food went untouched, and had gone cold. Still Jareth did not move. Then, Jareth felt a connection between the Underground and the Aboveground. Someone was travelling between them. It wasn't a wished away child because he gets warned instantly when that happens. No, this was one of his subjects going through a portal.

Jareth unwillingly stood up and summoned a crystal ball. His face was miserable. He looked into it and saw that it was Sarah's foolish friends going through the portal to her room. He rolled his eyes. Then he transformed into a barn owl and flew off, with every intention of taking all of the idiots back and dipping them into the bog of eternal stench.

_She chose the Aboveground. She cannot have both. I could have given her everything! But, taking them away would make her unhappy, and that's the last thing you want. No, she made me unhappy! This is only fair! _

Jareth's internal argument went on for the entire journey. Eventually, he arrived outside Sarah's window and saw that she was just as unhappy as him. Ludo, Hoggle and the others had simply gone to comfort her.

"I need you, all of you" Sarah finished, quite down in the dumps.

Jareth did not hear what Hoggle replied, he was too busy wondering if he, the goblin kingm, was included in the 'all'. When the party started, Jareth took this as his que to leave.

_After all, the evil Goblin King would be quite the party pooper _Jareth thought bitterly, as he flew off into the night sky.

For the next few weeks Jareth felt wretched. He never moved from his throne; he didn't eat; he didn't do anything but stare into nothingness. The goblins that usually spent their time in there with him had disappeared. He was all alone.

"I'd rather be completely alone than with people who are not her" Jareth mumbled occasionally, not making much sense at all.

Piffle was getting increasingly worried, and she tried the one thing that always cheered him up. She clambered up the stairs to Jareth's throne. Piffle tugged on his baggy sleeve. Jareth glanced down for a moment and then returned to staring at the wall.

"Master, you remind me of the babe" Piffle said hopefully. This usually brought a smirk to his face.

Instead, Jareth sighed dejectedly and replied "what babe?" with no enthusiasm at all.

Piffle was not put off, because he actually spoke. So she beamed at him and said "the babe with the power"

Jareth smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

Piffle nudged him to get the next line out of him.

"Not today Piffle" Jareth said.

"Just one verse, come on" Piffle insisted. Jareth pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly.

"Piffle, you may be my favourite goblin but I'll still send you swimming in the bog" Jareth warned, but there was no heat behind it.

Piffle merely raised her eyebrows and started to tap her foot. She didn't fear her king in the slightest. That was probably why he liked her so much.

"I saw my baby" Jareth started, in a morbid tone "crying hard as babe could… cry" and then he himself started crying, hiding his face from Piffle. His subjects couldn't see him weak.

Piffle patted Jareth's leg comfortingly, but Jareth snapped.

"Get out! Leave! NOW!" he shouted, standing up.

Piffle looked at Jareth sadly, and left the room. She winced as Jareth threw something at the door behind her. Another goblin came up to Piffle and said "Your plan didn't work then?"

Piffle smirked and said "No, it worked. I made him feel something. At least now he's angry. I'd take that over staring at a wall any day"

The goblins returned to their work, hearing occasional bangs and clatters from the throne room.

Later that day, Jareth was sitting on the floor of his throne room, now over his rage. He missed Sarah. It had only been a couple of weeks; did he have an eternity of this to come?

At that point, Jareth decided to go and see her. Transforming into a barn owl once more, he took off. After a relatively quick journey, he landed on the tree outside her room and saw Sarah in bed asleep. She was sobbing.

"Jareth! Jareth!" she screamed in her sleep.

His barn owl form froze. Did he hear that right? Was she saying his name?

Jareth decided that he shouldn't go to her. She was young, she would get over it. She would forget about him, about the labyrinth and have a happy life. So he flew away once more.

Jareth started to wonder how many times he would force himself to fly away from that window.


	2. The reunion

It had been ten years since Sarah won back Toby. Jareth had been checking in on Sarah every few months. He'd watch her on every birthday. Sarah was now 25, and was about to move out of her parents' house. She had been terrified to leave before because of what she had done to Toby, but now that he was 11 she felt that she could leave him and know that he would be ok.

Jareth watched her cry for him on all 10 anniversaries of wishing Toby away. Jareth watched as she dated, had boyfriends, and moved on. It killed him. But, Jareth knew that she hadn't really moved on at all. When one of her relationships ended, she didn't cry for them, she cried for Jareth.

Every time she begged for him to come to her, he had to fight every instinct in his body not to do so. He had to let her grow up first, had to give her a chance at a normal life. But on one particular night, when Jareth was outside her window and she was asleep, he gave in to his constant temptation and sent her a dream through a crystal ball.

They were dancing again, just like they did in the dream all those years ago. The only difference was there weren't any depraved people trying to put Sarah off, and Jareth wasn't playing games. There was just the two of them, dancing to their song: As the world falls down.

Jareth sung softly to Sarah as he spun her round on the spot. His years of despair after Sarah returned to the Aboveground gave the song a more sombre tone. He was staring at Sarah intensely and his eyes never wavered from hers.

Sarah was much surer of herself in this dance, and didn't feel quite so gormless in Jareth's arms. Sarah was aware that this was a dream, but knew that this was where she belonged. Jareth picked Sarah up and span her round as he sung the line 'as the world falls down'.

Sarah smiled in her sleep, and for the first time in years, Jareth smiled too. He was experiencing the dream just as vividly as Sarah was. All of a sudden, Sarah gasped and woke up. She looked over at her window and saw Jareth. Instead of shrieking or yelling, she strode over to the window, opened it forcefully, grabbed Jareth's face, and kissed him with all the power she could muster.

Jareth hesitated but then kissed her back.

_oh how I've missed her! _Jareth thought. Both of them poured ten years' worth of emotion into that kiss.

Sarah pulled him through the window so he was standing in her room with her. They both deepened the kiss and Jareth put one hand around her waist, the other in Sarah's hair.

When they both needed to break for air, Jareth pulled back and smirked triumphantly.

"Hello precious" he said.

Sarah smiled back and shook her head disbelievingly. She averted her eyes, suddenly finding the rug on the floor really interesting. Jareth's eyes softened and he stroked her face with his hand.

Sarah was grateful for how his leather glove cooled her blushing face. She leaned into his hand, and brought her eyes back up to meet his.

Jareth looked the same as he always had. His hair was just as fluffy and wild, and his fae markings still defined his face strikingly. Sarah then took in what he was wearing. She noted how his fashion sense hadn't changed either. Jareth was still wearing a large poets shirt, exposing most of his chest. There was the same gold pendant as before. The riding boots were the same, and he wore grey pants that were as tight as the day that she met him.

Sarah's gaze lingered on his prominent bulge. Realising what she was doing, she quickly brought her eyes back to Jareth's. His eyebrows were raised, and he looked like he was supressing the urge to laugh.

"I missed you" Sarah said, making Jareth serious once more.

Jareth smiled sadly. He already knew how much she missed him, he witnessed it.

Sarah misunderstood his smile and said disappointedly "I take it you didn't miss me then?"

Jareth frowned and said "I missed you every single day after you… left" He put his hands on both sides of her face and continued "Whenever I came to see you, I was desperate to show myself, to hold you, but I…"

"What?!" Sarah interrupted "You've been here, watching me cry myself to sleep every night over you, and you just sat there!"

Jareth winced and closed his eyes, realising what he had told her.


	3. No nightmares

Sarah thumped Jareth's arm angrily.

"Why didn't you show yourself before? Why must you always play games with people's emotions?" she asked, her eyes as cruel as ever.

"You turned my world, and then you left! You chose this life. I had to respect that choice. You cannot make this my fault when it was you who wanted to be rid of me. I had to remove myself from you. And even though it tore me apart to see you cry like that, I had to give you a chance to live a normal life. You deserved that. You still deserve that" finished Jareth.

Sarah stood in shock, she hadn't expected that answer.

"Tonight was a… a lapse in judgement. It won't happen again" Jareth turned away and walked to the window.

"No, Jareth wait!" Sarah cried. She grabbed his hand and he threw it off, showing no intention of stopping.

"Jareth, can you do one thing for me and just stay a minute longer!"

"Sarah, I do everything for you, and it is never enough. You can never make up your mind about what you want. You speak of playing games! What is it that you want from me?" Jareth exclaimed, letting all of his frustration out.

"You" Sarah whispered hoarsely. "I want you"

Jareth's eyes remained narrowed. He refused to let his guard down. She was highly prone to hurting him, and he couldn't let her do it again. It was crippling.

"Will you stay with me? Just for tonight?" Sarah asked, desperate to hold him again.

"I really should go… the goblins" Jareth started.

"Can survive one night without their king" Sarah finished, eying Jareth coyly.

He gave Sarah his trademark smirk in return. Sarah reached out and tentatively grasped his hand. Jareth looked down dubiously at what she was doing but didn't pull away.

"I'm sorry" Sarah murmured, getting closer to Jareth.

"For what exactly?" asked Jareth. He wasn't angry anymore, but he refused to let her walk over him. He had too much pride.

"For not realising how hard this has been for you too" said Sarah firmly.

"Specific" Jareth commented, now amused by the situation.

_Maybe she has finally learnt the power of words _he thought.

He had also unconsciously leaned forward, their chests now touching one another. Jareth possessively took hold of Sarah's other hand and moved into her personal space even more. He tilted his head so that Sarah could feel his hot breath against her ear.

He whispered "I apologise also".

Sarah's breath quickened at the intimacy of their situation, and saw Jareth smile out of the corner of her eye when she asked "why?"

Jareth pulled Sarah even closer, his lips now brushing her cheek. Sarah could smell his unique aroma. It was musky, with a hint of underground spice. Strangely enough, she could also detect a hint of peach.

"For letting you go" answered Jareth.

Sarah let out a small gasp. Jareth stood up straight again, backing away from Sarah slightly to give her some breathing room, but he kept hold of both her hands.

There was a brief pause, and Sarah felt sure that Jareth could hear her racing heartbeat. Once she got it under control she went to say something but was interrupted by an unexpected yawn.

"You're tired" stated Jareth "Go back to sleep"

Jareth saw the flicker of panic in Sarah's eyes.

"It's alright, I'll stay with you for the night" he reassured her.

Sarah smiled gratefully at Jareth. She let go of one of Jareth's hands and pulled the other towards her bed.

He willingly followed her. Sarah climbed under the covers and rested her head on the pillows. Jareth laid down also, on top of the covers, and he put his arms behind his head.

He smirked down at Sarah, who was already dozing off. He stroked her cheek gently with one finger and then put his arm back to support his head. Sarah snuggled closer to Jareth, laying a cheek on his thigh.

For the first time in ten years, both Sarah and Jareth slept peacefully. Neither one cried out in their sleep, neither one had nightmares.

However, when Jareth awoke in the early hours of the morning, he realised a sad truth. He would have to leave her again. Jareth had to go back to his goblins, his kingdom. He belonged in a different world to Sarah and had to return to it… Didn't he?


	4. Underground

The next morning Sarah awoke and looked around for Jareth straight away. He wasn't there.

_Did I dream all of that last night? _She thought.

Sarah got out of bed and searched for any sign of Jareth's presence. She got increasingly frantic, running round the house shouting his name.

_It's a good job Dad, Karen and Toby have already left_.

Once Sarah had checked the whole house, she came back to her room and flopped back onto her bed gloomily. She thought she had finally got Jareth back! It had felt so real; it couldn't have been a dream, it just couldn't. Sarah had experienced similar dreams about Jareth in the past, but he had always seemed distant, never close enough to reach. Last night was entirely different. Sarah could remember the heat of his breath, the strength of his embrace and those odd, piercing eyes.

Sarah squeezed her eyes shut in despair, and then she thought she could hear Jareth's laugh.

"Oh, excellent, I'm now hallucinating" Sarah mumbled grumpily to herself.

The haughty chuckling grew louder. Sarah's eyes snapped open and she shot up. She turned her head and there Jareth stood proud as ever, with an amused smirk on his attractive face. He had got changed and was now wearing a red shirt, with a black chest plate. He paired this with tight black trousers and pointed boots.

"Dear dear, Sarah, I only left for half an hour. Can you not cope without me precious?" Jareth asked in his usual condescending manner.

Sarah was far too elated to retort to his remark, so she simply flung herself into his arms. Jareth stumbled back, a little stunned. He then reacted and wrapped his arms around her. Sarah buried her face into the nape of his neck.

"My apologies if I worried you" said Jareth, in a more serious tone.

"I thought I dreamt everything" Sarah said, with tears brimming in her eyes.

"No, it was very much real" purred Jareth, in an attempt to comfort Sarah.

Sarah stepped back and wiped at her eyes, embarrassed at looking so clingy and desperate. Jareth found her obvious humiliation endearing, but he figured he would just insult her if he mentioned it.

"Where did you go?" inquired Sarah.

"Back to the Underground, to make sure everything was as it should be" replied Jareth

"So, you can't leave for very long at a time then?"

"Unfortunately not"

"Oh" Sarah said, a small frown forming on her face.

"What are you getting at Sarah?" asked Jareth, wanting to get straight to the point.

"I…I was just thinking… If you could… Live here? Choose the Aboveground? Choose me?" Sarah stuttered, very nervous.

"Oh, Sarah. I would love to stay with you, but I can't. I am the Goblin King, and I have a duty to my goblins and to the Labyrinth. This isn't my world. As much as I love…"

Sarah's eyes widened at what Jareth was about to say. He quickly realised his slip up and continued

"I mean, as much as I care about you, I could never do something that selfish. I'm sorry Sarah." His eyes bore into Sarah's, full of regret.

"D..Don't be sorry Jareth" said Sarah "I'm the one being selfish. You're right, I can't ask you to give up your kingdom. So I'll come with you"

Jareth inhaled sharply. Sarah noticed him looking doubtful, and squeezed his arm in assurance.

"I mean it Jareth, I won't lose you again" she said firmly.

Jareth was completely speechless. He couldn't believe his ears.

"What about your life here?" Jareth whispered roughly.

Sarah laughed humourlessly "What life? You've been watching me, Jareth. I haven't been complete since I left you"

"And your family?" pressed Jareth. He wanted to make sure she was absolutely sure. This seemed to have struck a nerve in Sarah.

"They'll cope. Dad and Karen don't really care anymore, they want to get rid of me. And Toby, well… I'll miss him" Sarah admitted.

"You won't change my mind" she added.

Jareth was so overwhelmed with emotion that he couldn't form a sentence again. Instead, he kissed Sarah zealously. He squeezed his eyes shut and kissed her again and again all over Sarah's face.

She giggled at his attentiveness and he joined her laughter. He picked her up and spun her round and round, overcome with joy. He got the girl. As they were both getting dizzy Jareth put Sarah down gently and kissed her tenderly, holding her chin.

"Oh, you precious thing" he muttered contentedly.

"So… When can I come?" Sarah asked.

"Today!" Jareth cried excitedly.

"Can I say goodbye to my family first?" requested Sarah timidly.

Jareth's light-heartedness came to an abrupt halt.

"Of course you can" he said softly. Jareth stroked Sarah's cheek adoringly, and she leant into his touch.

Jareth spoke up again "Why don't I go back to the Underground and make the nessacary arrangements and come back for you tonight?"

Sarah smiled appreciatively and nodded. Sarah stretched up and kissed Jareth's lips softly. Once they broke contact he smiled at her and turned round to leave out of the window.

"Oh and don't worry about packing! I'll take care of it" Jareth shouted, before transforming and flying away.

Sarah sat down on her bed, and hugged herself. She was thrilled at the prospect of spending her life with Jareth in the Underground; but she had no idea how to say goodbye to Toby.

Sarah took a shower and then got dressed into a pair of jeans and a simple white t-shirt.

"What should I do with my last day?" Sarah wondered out loud.

She slipped her converse on and decided to go to the park. It was the place that her fascination with the Labyrinth began. Once she arrived, she strolled past the lake and sat down by the spot where she rehearsed all her plays (particularly the Labyrinth).

Sarah basked in the sun for a good hour, wondering if the sun would be the same down there. She then went to get some doughnuts for breakfast. She knew it wasn't a particularly healthy choice, but that didn't really matter to her.

_Who knows if they have doughnuts? _Said Sarah in her head. Once she finished her delicious breakfast she walked around her hometown, saying goodbye to all the places that were significant to her.

She got home at dusk, just after Toby got back from school. Sarah saw his school bag and trainers by the front door.

"Toby?" Sarah called out, her voice breaking.

_How am I going to get through this?! _Her conscious screamed.

"Yeah, Sarah?" Toby replied, coming in to the hallway.

"Hey, you" said Sarah softly.

"Hey. Wanna come play Xbox?" asked Toby.

Sarah laughed and agreed.

It got to night time and Toby, Sarah's dad and Karen were all asleep. Sarah was waiting in her room for Jareth, when she heard a knock at the window. Jareth was waiting, smirking happily at Sarah.

Sarah let him in and kissed him desperately, wrapping her arms around his neck. Jareth chuckled at her eagerness but then became concerned. He pulled back and said

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I found today harder than I expected"

"They won't remember anything once your gone Sarah" said Jareth, not sure if that helped. "If you've changed your mind I completely understand Sarah, this is a lot to ask."

"I haven't changed my mind, I promise" said Sarah.

Jareth just nodded in response. He took her by the hand and led her to Toby's room. Sarah went in and kissed him softly on the forehead. A tear spilled out of her eye and splashed into his hair.

Jareth winced, hating that she was hurting because of him. Sarah took one final look at Toby and walked out of the room. Jareth held out his hand to Sarah, and she knew that this was it. Hesitating for just a moment, she grabbed his hand and they suddenly appeared in his throne room in the Underground.

Sarah held back a sob. She would never see Toby again.

Jareth was crestfallen. He hadn't realised how hard this was for her. He thought she was miserable already, and that she lamented her decision to come.

He showed Sarah to her room which was filled with her possessions from the Aboveground already. He knew that she would benefit from being alone, so he kissed her on the forehead and murmured "goodnight"

Sarah was too tired and too emotionally spent to take in her surroundings properly, so she just went to the huge bed in the centre of the room and fell straight to sleep.


End file.
